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CBS MIAMI (WFOR)

Local Doctor’s Presence A Strong Stance At State Of The Union

MIAMI (CBS Miami) — A Muslim-American doctor from South Florida will be a guest at the State of The Union address on Tuesday.

As a guest of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Dr. Mohsin Jaffer of Weston will be among the more than two dozen Muslim Americans in the audience.

“This is the greatness of America, that somebody can stand up and put a hood on his face and say nasty things. Somebody can be on the left side or the right side and we accept them,” said the doctor. “Let’s not vilify immigrants.”

His attendance is part of the congresswoman’s stance against the recent rise of hateful rhetoric against Muslim- Americans worldwide.

The congresswoman also encouraged other politicians to do the same to counter the anti-Muslim backlash that has surfaced in recent weeks.

“I conceived the notion of inviting a Muslim-American constituent and invited my colleagues to do so. We can send a very strong message on the most important day of the year, politically, for the Congress and for the United States, that it’s not okay,” said Wasserman Shultz. “We will beat back any type of rhetoric and vitriol against either Americans or anyone who is in this country.”

This weekend a Muslim woman stood in protest at a Donald Trump event.

Doctor Jaffer has specialized in the medical care of families and seniors in South Florida for nearly 30 years.  He says he’s been troubled after hearing about anti-Muslim stories in South Florida.

He says the terrorists do not represent traditional Muslim values.

“What they do there is really abominable. It’s totally ‘un-islamic.’ We don’t call them ISIS. We call them NISIS, non- Islam, non-Islamic state. They are not Islam. This is not really what it represents,” said the doctor.

Tuesday evening’s State of the Union address will be the last one for President Barack Obama.